A different Type of Match
by TheTwoMind
Summary: Okay. So maybe I did a stupid, Maybe. But I think the fact THAT MY TOY CAN TRANSFORM ME INTO A WARRIOR KINDA MAKES IT OKAY! Besides, I have Rider friends! So... Yeah. I think I win...
1. Awakening-1

**AN: Hi! So… This is gonna take a lot of work for me to do. A lot of research, reading Worm a lot, trying to make sure I get everything right… I just wanna say this to start. The V2 System thingy. It was inspired by someone online making Build Fanart… I think it was something like… Dynamo Tom or something? Anyway. It's not just a copy paste of that. I have changed some stuff, made it interesting in my opinion, so… Yeah! Please don't be too harsh… I'm new to writing Worm Fanfics…**

Fact one of life, don't respond to mysterious messages. Fact two, if you own a Build Driver and a Transteam gun, with the Steam Blade because why wouldn't you have both even if you got the blade without the Cobra bottle? You shouldn't put the Build Driver's FullBottles into the Transteam gun while responding to the aforementioned mysterious message. Guess what I did… Yep. I put them together… Yay me…

* * *

"Nngh… Too Bright…" I muttered, covering my eyes with my hand… My bed felt uncomfortable… I slowly looked up, seeing the sun glaring down at me… "Okay…? Why am I…? Wait why am I outside?!" I whisper yelled to myself in confusion. I stood up quickly, looking myself over… I was wearing clothes that… I didn't remember buying…? "Why do these look familiar to me…?" I questioned, looking in a convenient shard of mirror that was nearby… It kinda looked like… Oh! Cool! It's like the outfit Utsumi wore! "Cool. Why am I wearing them though…?" I muttered, looking around some more… By my feet were My Transteam Gun and Steam Blade toys, and the Faust Bat fullbottle, with the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles nearby… "Wait, where's the Build Driver?" I asked myself, looking around… "Damnit! It was on the table!" I growled to myself, picking them up… They felt different, heavier as well… Examining the Fullbottles, I couldn't find the barcodes, or the made in china writing anywhere… The Screws were almost impossible to find as well! "Wait… I respond to a mysterious message… My toys feel different… I've been ROBbed!" I exclaimed loudly, quickly covering my mouth, but it was too late…

"D'you 'ear that?" A voice said loudly, coming closer…

"Yeah, what d'you think it was?" Another responded, also approaching…

"Might be someone tryin' t' steal some of our shit." The first voice mused, before it got closer… All I had were some toy bottles and a toy gun that couldn't shoot anything… DAMNIT!

The Door of a nearby warehouse opened slowly, revealing two men who were… Clearly doing some questionable products… They looked around before spotting me, and calling out loudly, calling a large group to them.

"Well, look who we 'ave 'ere." One man said, holding a dirty knife near me. "You tryin' t' steal our shit?" He asked me rudely, spitting in my face a little…

I wiped the spit off quickly, fidgeting with the Rabbit Fullbottle nervously. "No… I don't even know where I am!" I exclaimed, panicking a lot.

The eyes of one of the thugs went towards the Transteam gun, and widened quickly at the sight of it. "E's got a gun!" The Thug exclaimed, causing them to all turn to it.

"Whoa! It's a toy! It got brought here with me or something!" I quickly tried to explain, throwing my hands in the air, the Rabbit Bottle shaking… Time seemed to slow down for a moment as it was shook… I stopped, and stared at the bottle… "I really hope this works…" I muttered, putting the bottle back in my pocket, and taking out the Faust Bat Fullbottle… I shook it quickly, turned the cap, and inserted it into the Rail of the gun…

" **Bat!** " Okay, so far so good…

"Jouketsu!" I exclaimed, and pulled the trigger… Smoke surrounded me, making me cough, but also grin! It was working!

" **MISTMATCH! Bat… Ba-Bat… Fire!** "

Lights and fireworks came from the smoke, as it cleared away… To reveal me… As Night Rogue…

"He's a cape!" One of the thugs shouted as they ran, making me pause for a second, before shaking it off…

"I'll give you a chance to run… Otherwise, I'll harm you." I told them, feeling powerful.

Some of them did run, quite a lot actually! But there were still a good few left…

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to injure you then." I told them, putting my hand to my side, I grabbed the Steam Blade, and held it up into the air… And then, I attacked, I shot forwards, punching one thug, knocking him out, before spinning around and kicking another one into a wall.

"GET HIM!" One shouted as he charged me with his knife.

I used the Steam Blade and knocked it out of his hands, and then hit him with the handle of the blade. There were only a few left at this point, so I took the Rabbit Fullbottle, conveniently placed on a holder on my waist, and swapped it for the Faust Bat.

" **RABBIT!** "

"Finish time!" I told the thugs, and pulled the Trigger.

" **Mistmatch! Rabbit… Rab-Rab-Rabbit… Fire!** " I was engulfed in smoke again, and when it faded, I was in a completely different suit… It was mostly red, with black armouring, being very sleek, when it got to the lower legs, the undersuit turned blue… In a mirror I saw that my Visor was the Rabbit Carved on the Fullbottle, with the Rabbit also on my chest plate, with the little Carrot as well!

"Uh… Okay then…?" I muttered, firing at them, with balls of steam hitting them and knocking them down until they were all knocked out, and then I ran away to find somewhere safe.

* * *

After a while, I found an empty warehouse far away from the place I'd woken up… I removed Rabbit from the Gun, and attached it to my waist, ending the transformation. "Whoa. That was crazy…" I muttered, sitting on an old crate for a moment… "Okay… That guy said I was a cape… Cape… Wait… Capes are from Worm Right…?" I questioned, tapping my chin… "I need to investigate this…" I decided, getting up and opening up a crate to see what I had to work with… "Oh! Okay, I can work with this!" I grinned, looking at all the tech I had at my disposal… "Why was this thrown away, I have no idea but I like it!" I exclaimed, grinning widely. "And if this is Worm, I'm gonna need all the help I can get! And a name… Kamen Rider Match! There we go! Okay… Who can help me…" I muttered, picking up bits of machinery and fiddling with it…

 **Later**

I had been to a nearby Library, and gotten some info… Yep. I was in Worm… I also triggered in the Library's bathrooms. Turns out Anxiety issues, plus being a Kamen Rider, plus being trapped in Worm with no way home causes Emotional chaos that makes me perfect for a Trigger Event… On the Bright Side, I can make stuff! Yep, I'm a Tinker! Specialising in Nebula Gas tools! Though, I can't make Drivers… Only the Gun Drivers and Fullbottles... Specifically, empty bottles, Faust Cobra, Sparkling, and Genius. Mostly because those are manmade. Oh well! "Okay… If I go to Winslow, and give Taylor bat, I can try and avoid her Trigger… If she still Triggers, I can help her, and we can be heroes together! She can be Night Rogue! And then I can make Cobra, and give it to Nurse PanPan, and she can be Blood Stalk!" I exclaimed, working on a Transteam gun for Taylor. This one would be a normal one. No transformations other than Bat and Cobra. Too many Kamen Rider Matches would be confusing. Best if only I use the V2 System, as I've dubbed it. Anyway, in about a week, I'll be at Winslow… So, best if I wait it out… But first, Security features. I don't wanna get Robbed and have People running around with Rider Tech… Besides, I'm using… A different type of match…


	2. Awakening-2

**AN: Hi! Okay… I think I can do this… But reviews would be nice… And please don't make fun of me if I get the personalities wrong. I'm trying my best…**

It had been a week, and I was finally ready… I'd built a Transteam Gun, with a tracker in the cap of Faust Bat… I'd also managed to get myself into Winslow as a student… According to the Computer system I'd managed to set up, through Tinker BS mostly, I was counting it as a way to store data on Fullbottles. Tinkers are such glorious Bull! But anyway. According to the Computer System, Taylor hadn't Triggered yet. I still had time!

* * *

 **Later**

I looked around as I went into the building… "Okay… So I need to go… Here?" I asked myself, looking at a map I'd been given… Luckily there was a thingy next to the map, so I think I was meant to go there… I went to the door and looked inside… I was a bit late, but it was fine… I hope…

 **The Classroom.**

The room went silent as someone knocked on the door, followed by the handle being jiggled. And then someone trying to push the door open…

"It's… It's a pull." The Teacher said, as the door was opened, revealing a boy standing there nervously.

 **Taylor Hebert.**

I looked at the boy… He looked fairly plain to be honest, not very interesting. He had this weird mix of boringness and playful silliness in his eyes… Not a mix I would have expected…

"Hi… I-I'm uh… G-Gimme a sec…" He said, stumbling over his words nervously.

"This is Alfie… Ah…"

"Alfie Perdition." The boy said quickly, probably not wanting any name issues. "It means eternal damnation. I think my family has a weird sense of humour…" He muttered under his breath, before looking around… "Is that seat free?" He asked, pointing at… The Chair next to me?!

"Yes, it is actually. Feel free to take it."

 **Alfie**

I grinned as I walked over and sat next to Taylor.

"So, what's your name?" I asked with a friendly smile.

"I'm… Taylor. Taylor Hebert." She introduced herself, a little wary looking…

I smiled at her. "So… What are we supposed to be learning?" I asked her, letting her focus on a distraction.

She quickly began to fill me in on everything… One thing that's nice about being a Tinker, the Tornado in my head that represents my thoughts is gone. Now it's a production line of thoughts. Much easier to manage! Still confusing though…

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a girl reach towards Taylor's bag, and used my legs to yank it out of her hand just as she started to pull it towards her, causing the girl to fall to the floor loudly.

"Are you alright?" The teacher asked her worried.

"Taylor pulled me out of my seat!" The Girl said angrily, glaring at Taylor…

"Taylor, is that true?" The Teacher asked sceptically.

Taylor opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

"No. She went to grab Taylor's bag, so I stopped her when she tried to pull it towards her. As in, away from Taylor." I argued, causing the Teacher to notice the Bag held by my legs. The Girl glared at me. "I didn't expect her to fall though. I was trying to get it out of her hands, not hurt her."

The teacher frowned thoughtfully, before sighing. "I can't really do anything, but if it happens again…" He trailed off, probably unsure of what he could do…

As the lesson continued, and the Girl sat in her seat glaring at me, I felt someone shake my arm… I turned to see Taylor giving me a small smile. "Thanks… You didn't need to do that…" She said to my shyly.

"Hey, what kind of person would I be if I didn't help someone? Especially someone who I'd want to call a Friend." I said, probably being a little too cheesy, by how her cheeks reddened…

"That was…" She mumbled embarrassed…

"Way too cheesy." I agreed with a sheepish grin, making her giggle a little.

* * *

 **Later**

I grinned as I continued my conversation with Taylor as we headed to lunch. Apparently she would rarely go to places other than the bathroom to eat her lunch. This was one of those times.

"Okay but that doesn't mean that Scion would win." I argued.

"Maybe not, but he'd still do a lot of damage to defeat the threat, even if he had to recover afterwards." Taylor argued back.

"That's true, but what if it's not enough?" I counted, causing her to pause in thought.

"That's a good point…" She admitted, before the girl from earlier, with two others, walked up to us. One of them was an athletic girl with dark skin, so this was… Probably Sophia Hess… Meaning that the redhead was probably Emma Barnes, and the cutesy brunette, who had nothing on Vista by the way, was Madison! Taylor groaned as the Trio approached.

"So, you managed to make a friend. Finally found someone weaker than you?" Sophia said mockingly.

Taylor sighed as she tried to ignore them, probably directing me to do the same… Except for one thing, I don't like it when people mock my friends.

"Weak? Weak?! You're calling TayTay weak?!" I asked, glaring at Sophia, and using the nickname I'd come up with on the spot for Taylor. "She's not weak. She's strong. She's a survivor. I may be fairly strong physically, but Tay? How easy would it be for you to find a decently long bit of rope?" I asked turning to Taylor.

Taylor jolted a bit, and thought for a moment. "Pretty easy…?" She said after thinking, unsure where I was going.

"So it would be incredibly easy and simple just to get a rope, and end it. End the suffering. End your torment on her. To just give up. But she doesn't. She pushes through it. She just tries her best. She's stronger than you'll ever be." I said, taking Taylor by the hand and leading her away…

* * *

After we'd gotten enough distance, I released her hand, and looked at her. "You okay?" I asked her worried.

"I… Why did you defend me like that?" She asked confused.

"Like I said, what kind of person would I be if I didn't defend my friend? And also, I hate when people mock my friends. I used to get bullied so…" I trailed off, giving her a smile, which she weakly returned. And then, I made the decision… I reached into my pocket, and pulled out Faust Bat, which now had a chain attached to it, just below the cap, where it wouldn't compromise integrity, but allowed it to be worn as a necklace. There was even a clip so that the chain wouldn't get in the way! "Here." I said, putting it in her hand. "Think of it as a lucky charm!" I explained, grinning at her. She smiled a little, and put it on, making sure to hide it from sight.

"Thank you…" She mumbled, smiling at me.

I then became aware of something. I really needed the bathroom…

"Oh, crap… Tay I gotta go to the bathroom. Gimme a second?" I asked hopefully, getting a sigh and a nod, taking it as my cue to run off, leaving my bag with her so she'd know I'd come back…

* * *

 **After taking care of his… Business…**

I left the bathroom, relieved of business. I headed to where Taylor was… And found her bag on the floor next to mine… Uh oh… I dug through my bag, and pulled out a tablet that was tracking the Tracker, as well as Taylor's brain… I also pulled out a small doggy bag just in case… As I checked it, a red light started flashing… "Shit!" I exclaimed, shoving it back into my bag, slinging my bag, as well as Taylor's, over my back and rushing to where Taylor's locker was. We'd walked past it earlier… "Shitshitshitshitshit!" I chanted, sprinting to Taylor's locker, I could hear crying coming from inside… "Taylor!" I shouted, getting her attention inside the locker. "I'm going to get you out of there, just try not to freak out more than you already are!" I told her, before I spun around, grabbed a guy's knife from his belt, he was a merchant kid by the look of it so why wouldn't he have a knife, and used it to stab into the Hinges of the Locker. After a few stabs, I managed to break the Hinges off, dropping the knife, and pulled Taylor out of the Locker, holding her close to my chest, ignoring all the disgusting stuff on her… With my other hand, I used the doggy bag and picked up a flute, it was damaged a lot… But I didn't care. I put it in my pocket, using the bag as a way to keep it from contaminating me… "Someone call the police or an ambulance or something!" I shouted, getting someone to grab their phone and do as I'd ordered… Taylor was crying into my shoulder, as I started to pick out the gross stuff and used feminine products out of her hair carefully… "It's okay TayTay… I'm here… You're safe. You're not in the locker… And I won't let it happen… Ever again…" I promised her, trying to keep her from having a complete breakdown… Sophia would pay for this… She. Would. Pay…

* * *

 **Later**

I sat on the chair next to the bed, as Taylor slept in it… She was fine for the most part, after they'd cleaned her off, but she was tired, and panicked… She needed to rest…

"Your dad'll be here soon Taylor…" I muttered to her, knowing she couldn't hear me, but it didn't matter. I felt bad enough that I had to let her go through that when I was trying to make things better…

"Taylor?" I heard a man's voice ask worried as he entered… He looked horrified, angry, and upset all at once… He was tall and skinny, with green eyes and glasses.

"She's still asleep." I told him sternly, channelling my inner Doctor so that Taylor could rest.

"Who are you?" He asked, worry clear in his voice.

"I'm Taylor's new friend. She helped me get used to stuff at school today… And then she got shoved in a locker full of used Tampons and other stuff… It'd probably been there since last year." I explained, idly noticing that Taylor had grabbed my hand and was squeezing it pretty tightly. "My name's Alfie." I introduced, focusing mainly on Tay.

"Danny." He introduced back, sitting on the chair on the opposite side Taylor… "How… How long was she in there for?" He asked, probably scared to ask.

"Not long. Five minutes at least, but not more than Ten… I asked TayTay to look after my bag while I went to the bathroom, and when I got back, our bags were on the floor… I grabbed them and ran to her locker… I don't know why, I just sorta knew she was at her locker… But she was in there… If I hadn't been there to get her out… She might have been there all day…" I muttered, letting Taylor squeeze my hand as hard as she wanted… It didn't matter to me how hard she squeezed… I was just worried about my friend… "I have suspicions about who did it, but I can't prove it on my own… But if I'm right…" I trailed off, brushing some hair off of Taylor's face carefully… "I'm going to make them pay."


	3. Awakening-3

**AN: Please… Review… Also! I… I'm not exactly sure of the exact things for the PHO interludes, but I'm trying my best…**

* * *

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 **Topic: New cape sighting?**

 **In: Boards** **Boards** **Brockton Bay** **Parahumans** **Speculation**

 **Theorising Glass** (Original Poster)

Posted on January 5, 2010:

So has anyone else been wondering about the red blur that's been around the last few days? It only seems to show up at night, and it's targeting thugs or something by the look of it. Think it might be a new hero? Vigilante maybe? We don't know much about the possible powers, but Enhanced speed is likely one of them.

 **(Showing Page 1 of 1)**

► **XxVoid_CowboyxX**

Replied on January 5, 2010:

Could be a tinker for all we know. Or some kind of power like Shadow Stalker, but a red fast version. I think it's something to do with animals. Not many capes could go at the speeds we've seen without some serious cheats or other powers.

► **Bagrat** (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

XxVoid_CowboyxX saying something sane? I never thought I'd see the day! But anyway, he's actually right. Some people apparently went to check it out, and there are footprints, and here's the weird bit. They're human shaped for the most part, but they have moulds like Rabbit Feet... Case 53 maybe?

► **AllThemBestMatches** (Unverified Cape) (Verified Idiot)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

They're boots. It's pretty obvious that they're boots. The markings are flat indents. A rabbit foot, no matter how big, still has curves. It's more like a shoe shaped like a rabbit foot. The bottom's got a few markings as well, so it's definitely a cape and not some kind of monster.

► **Bagrat** (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

 **AllThemBestMatches**

Who are you? And that's a good point, you've got good eyes, I didn't even see the flat prints. Any other bright ideas you could suggest?

Also, what's a best match?

► **AllThemBestMatches** (Unverified Cape) (Verified Idiot)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

 **Bagrat**

Oh it's just a match of something funny, like, for example going with the theme here, a Rabbit and a Tank. Imagine a Rabbit, just a normal house rabbit, in a tank. Try not to laugh too hard. And maybe it's probably a Tinker, the shoes could be linked to getting around so fast.

And I'm new here, nice to meet you all!

► **Living Sky-high** (Moderator)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

Are we just ignoring the fact that this guys an unverified Cape? Who gave him that tag? Also, since when is Verified Idiot a Thing?

► **AllThemBestMatches** (Unverified Cape) (Verified Idiot)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

TinMother did. And she set it up for me since I thought it was accurate.

► **AllThemBestMatches** (Unverified Cape) (Verified Idiot)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

Still can't get it to show up when I log in though...

► **Living Sky-high** (Moderator)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

Alright then people, let's get back on track.

AllThemBestMatches thanks for explaining. The Verified Idiot thing might be a commenting only Tag, not sure.

► **Bagrat** (The Guy In The Know) (Veteran Member)

Replied on January 5, 2010:

Alright then... Anyone have any ideas for possible cape names?

 **End of Page. 1.**

* * *

I sighed as I checked PHO on my phone, Dragon was helpful, she really was, but waiting was so boring… I could only go out and deal with crime once every day or so, so that Taylor wouldn't wake up alone… BUT IT WAS GETTING TO ME!

I glanced at Taylor quickly, noticing she had moved a little.

"Taylor…?" I asked quietly, worried…

Taylor's eyes began fluttering a little… She was waking up! "Nngh… W-What…?" She mumbled, trying to get up.

I pushed her down gently. "Nonono, don't get up Taylor. You need to rest." I told her, passing her a glass of water I had kept nearby. Someone had come in a few minutes ago to replace it so she'd have a drink nearby if she woke up.

Taylor drank some of it, blinking at me. "Where… Where am I…?" She asked me, confused.

"You… Give me a second, I need to call your dad. He's been worried about you… So have I." I said, calling her dad quickly.

"Hello?" His voice was calm, yet had hidden worry…

"She's awake. She just woke up. I've given her a drink, but I don't know for how long." I told him, hanging up. "He'll be here soon." I promised her, deciding not to mention how she still had a grip on my hand, she'd probably notice on her own… Right? "Okay, Taylor… I don't want to stress you out… But what do you remember?" I asked her carefully, watching her reactions…

"I… The… The Locker…" She whispered quietly.

"Please don't panic TayTay. You're never going to go through that again. I broke the locker, so it can't happen. Also, I'm thinking we should maybe switch to Arcadia." I suggested, Taylor's face was panicked and shocked… "Just think about it. Okay?" I asked her, getting a tiny nod… "And by the way? I'm sorry… If I hadn't taken so long I could have helped you…" I apologised.

"No… They grabbed me as soon as you left… You wouldn't have been able to get there fast enough…" She told me, squeezing my hand unconsciously… I winced a little at how hard she was squeezing, but didn't speak up about it.

"Taylor!" Danny burst in panting heavily, followed by several medical staff.

"Miss Hebert! Can you hear me?"

"Miss Hebert do you know what day it is?"

Doctors were talking over each other, making me sigh and pick up the radio that was close to me. I then bonked a Doctor lightly on the head to get his attention, meaning I had someone to help shut them up, which was very helpful honestly…

Subtly, I grabbed Danny's arm, and pulled him carefully over to my side, where he could talk to Tay.

"Taylor, are you okay?" He asked her worried.

"I… I think I'm okay… Tired… Sore… But okay…" She told him, before she flinched at something. "I-I just…" She whispered, freaking out, looking around, I noticed a small ladybug… I put my finger near it, and Taylor flinched again…

"Taylor, what happened?" I asked her, moving my finger again very obviously.

"I-I saw something… Something giant… Moving in front of me." She explained as the Doctors were slowly getting shoved out.

"Like this?" I asked, continuing to move my finger.

"Exactly like that…" She agreed. I put my face very close to the ladybug, and she flinched yet again. "T-There's a face of some kind…" She whispered, scared.

"Taylor, you're seeing through a bug." I said bluntly, making her stare at me, and then the bug. She flinched once more.

"I… I can see my own face…?" She mumbled, confused.

"Okay, either you're nuts and somehow hallucinating things you shouldn't be able to see…" I began, letting Danny and TayTay figure the rest out…

"Or I'm a cape…?" She whispered, staring at her hands like they were going to become claws.

"My Daughter's a cape…?" Danny whispered at the same time.

They were silent for a few moments.

"… So… Should I go, or…?" I asked, not wanting to intrude on any family bonding.

"No!" Taylor yelped, squeezing my hand tight. "Please don't go." She begged, her voice full of fear.

"I won't go then." I promised her, squeezing her hand gently.

Taylor froze for a moment, and then pulled her hand away, blushing cutely… Wait why did I think that…? Anyway!

"You have a strong grip, even when you're in an extended sleep." I told her casually, trying to distract her.

"Um… Thanks…?" She said cautiously.

"Oh, and by the way, if you're okay with it, I can get into Arcadia with Taylor, make sure this can never happen again." I said to Danny.

"That could cost a lot of money…" Danny muttered, clearly torn…

"I'll be the one paying if it does." I promised. I could make money quickly, through both moral and not so legal methods… Surprisingly both were equal in speed and amount, so it was simply choosing between them I had to worry about.

"Are you sure?" He asked, shocked.

"Completely. I'm not letting my best friend stay in Winslow if I can help it." I told him determined. I then turned to Taylor quickly. "You don't mind me calling you my best friend, right?" I checked.

"You… You're my best friend as well, I guess." She admitted with a small smile, still shocked by her powers.

"Wait, I thought Emma was your best friend?" Danny interrupted confused…

Taylor and I locked eyes, before she sighed. "It's… Complicated…" She mumbled.

"How about this, give her a few weeks to recover emotionally and mentally, if she hasn't explained by then, I'll do… Something. I dunno. Maybe I'll threaten her with a pillow fight or something." I offered, losing track of my thoughts for a moment near the end…

Taylor giggled, and smiled. She had a nice smile. "I should be able to do that, I guess." She agreed.

Danny nodded. "A few weeks, and then you explain." He told Taylor, getting a nod.

I smiled to myself… Everything was going to be okay… Right?

* * *

 **Later**

I hummed to myself happily as I fine-tuned the Transteam Gun I'd built for Taylor. I needed to make sure it'd fit her properly, give or take a few inches in all directions. The Suit was sort of elastic in feel, so it'd stretch for those inches if it needed too… I'd already dealt with the suit differences for gender, but otherwise it was basically done. I just had to keep an eye on her so that I can stop her from going out in a half finished costume… If she even did. I mean, Danny now had the knowledge she was a cape so… Might be a problem… I tucked the Transteam gun back into my bag, and finished eating my lunch.

"So, what do we do when Hebert gets back?"

Huh? Oh, that was interesting… Sounds like plotting to me…

"We'll leave her be for a few days. But after that, I'm thinking we show her why she should have just stayed at home. Soda all over her head, soaked books, maybe some Gum on the floor where her fit usually land… Anything you can think of."

"What about Tacs in the gum?"

"Good thinking."

Looking around, I saw the Trio talking… Or, more accurately, Sophia and Emma talking, while Madison looked worried… I continued to listen in as I put my stuff away, having finished eating.

"And her new friend?"

"We'll show him why he should stay away from a weakling like her…" I scowled, hearing them say it again…

Then, I had an idea… I turned around in my chair enough that they could see my face, and grinned as much as I could, while still seeming natural, muttering to myself about things. As expected, Sophia and Emma took the bait, listening in.

"So once School's over I'll visit Taylor, and talk to her for half an hour… Then I'll head home, and relax for a bit… Then I'll have Dinner, and go visit Tay again for a few hours… Maybe I should bring her some books…" I muttered. The two of them grinned at each other, whispering excitedly between themselves, while Madison tried to stay out of the way...

Turning back to normal in my seat, I waited, knowing they'd take the bait and try to ambush me…

 **Later**

I walked out of the School, getting easily lost in the crowd for a moment, before Sophia and Emma approached me from the sides, grabbing my arms and yanking me into an Alleyway. "Oh hey, it's the bitches two. Where's your friend?" I asked, smiling. "Actually, don't bother answering. I gotta get to Tay's." I cut them off as they began to talk, throwing their hands off of my arms, and turned around to leave. I heard the sound of Sophia going Shadow for a moment as she shot towards my back. I ducked at the last second, and sighed. "So that's how you want to play it huh? Knowing with full knowledge that I could tell the PRT about this. And if I don't get to Tay soon, she'll know something's up." I said, not worried at all.

"Fuck you!" She cursed at me, lunging for me, not going shadow. I ducked again, letting her crash into Emma.

"You are really stressed… Maybe you need to realise that you don't hate Taylor, and actually you have a crush on her but don't know how to tell he- WHOA!" I moved out of the way as she punched where I had been, I could see the shockwave of how fast she'd moved… "Holy shit." I muttered, before I kicked her in the gut and ran for it. I kept running, and running, I didn't stop running until I got to Taylor's house. I knocked on the door, and Danny let me in.

"You're a little late, is everything okay?" He asked me, noticing the time.

"Got held up on the way out of School. Taylor in her room?" I asked, not explaining further.

"Yeah." He nodded. In just a few days, he'd trusted me enough to go into Taylor's room on my own… Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing…

I nodded and went upstairs.

"Hey TayTay!" I greeted as I opened the door, finding her with a Butterfly on her finger. She was writing down stuff on her powers.

She looked up as I walked in, and grinned, the Butterfly flying away. "Hey Alfie!" She greeted back, closing her notebook and putting it on her desk.

"How're you holding up?" I asked her.

"I'm good! I should be able to get back to school soon." She said happily. "I think I have enough control over my powers by now." She added.

I grinned at her, and sat down on her bed next to her. "So, you planning on doing any… Y'know?" I watched her face go through many different shapes, before settling on confused.

"Any… What?" She asked.

"Heroics. Superhero stuff." I finished, shaking my head slightly.

"I-I… Uh…" She stammered, embarrassed.

"You got a costume?" I asked her with a sigh.

"I-I'm working on that!" She said quickly.

"How far along?"

She drooped. "Just out of the design phase…" She mumbled.

I sighed. "Don't bother, I have something that'll be much better. Probably. It'll take a few days to finish though." I explained to her. "So, how about this, first weekend after you get back to School, I come over around Eleven, you sneak out, we go fight crime." I offered.

"We?" She questioned.

I froze, before I gave a sheepish grin… "Heh… Check PHO." I said nervously. Suspiciously, she did. I directed her to a page, and she read it, before turning to me… "Surprise…?" I tried, a guilty grin on my face.

"So… What are you?" She asked, afraid to find out.

"A tinker. Maybe some Brute and Thinker, but it'd be very low if I am. Mostly Tinker as far as I can tell. I'll tell you now, the Bottle I gave you links into this. You can have your own suit, and it'll be awesome. Theme is Bat, not bug… But that'll just throw them off!" I explained to her. She nodded to me, and we spent the next half an hour just relaxing together and talking to each other.

"Hey…" Taylor said after a while. I looked up to see her smiling nervously.

"Yeah Tay?" I asked, confused.

"Thanks." She said simply.

"For what?"

"For a lot of things… Defending me… Getting me out of the locker… Staying with me until I woke up… Visiting me… Trusting me enough to give me your stuff…" She explained. I gave her a big smile.

"Tay. You're my best friend. I'll do anything to protect you." I promised her. "That's a promise."


	4. Advancing-1

**AN: Hi! I got a review! It uh… It's not very informative… ALSO! As I begin writing this, Twelfth of January 2019, it's my birthday today! So Happy Birthday to me!**

I sighed. It had been almost a week, and Taylor was back at Winslow with me… This meant that Sophia and Emma were out for blood… They weren't fussy on if it was mine or Taylor's, they just wanted blood. Madison though… She hadn't shown up for the last few days…

We were currently in Mr Gadfly's class, or as he liked to be called, Mr G… I swear to god… Why did someone give a popular kid a job as a teacher? Like, I've had my share of cool teachers like him, but they always did much better. They always stopped bullying the best they could, they weren't biased, and best of all, they were young enough to still make immature jokes without making the class feel awkward or obligated to fake laughter. This guy though… He was young enough, sure, but… He's just not right… He tries to make the popular kids happy, and teach. That's about all he does… He was a decent teacher though, I suppose…

"Let me wrap up here," Mr Gladly said, "Sorry, guys, but there is homework for the weekend. Think about capes and how they've impacted the world around you. Make a list if you want, but it's not mandatory. On Monday we'll break up into groups of four and see what group has the best list. I'll buy the winning group treats from the vending machine."

The class cheered for the most part, everyone putting their stuff away, beginning to chat, with some of the more social members of class going over to Mr Gadfly's desk to talk to him. TayTay and I grabbed our bags and went off to eat lunch.

"I'm going to go eat in the bathroom, is that okay?" Taylor asked nervously.

I remembered what I'd overheard, as well as read back home, and shook my head. "No. Emma and Sophia are way too likely to trap you in there and prank you. Maybe by pouring pop on your head, or jamming the door on you, or… What?" I asked, noticing her frowning a little.

"What's… Pop?" She asked confused.

"Oh! Soda. I was born in Britain. It's called Pop over there." I explained, realising Taylor probably hadn't noticed my Southern British accent.

"Oh. I didn't know that." She said quietly, taking in the information.

"Thing is, I was born southwards, but lived more northwards for the most part, so people would stop me and ask why I said something weirdly. I had a British accent, but the wrong one for the area." I mentioned with a grin, which Taylor returned, a mental image firmly in her mind. "So, I wouldn't advise the bathroom. Also, Greg got you a book. I asked if he knew where I could find a copy, he owned one that he'd never touched, so he brought it for you to have." I told her, making her blink in surprise.

"Greg? Greg Vader?" She asked, making sure.

"Yep." I confirmed, as we headed off to meet Greg together.

 **Later**

We sat down at the table next to Greg, getting out our food and eating it fairly quickly.

"Hey Taylor, hey Alfie." He greeted with a grin, digging around in his bag for something.

"Hey Cowboy." I greeted back, startling him. "You bring the book?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah… One sec." He stammered, getting it out and giving it to Taylor. "Here." He told her, before turning to me. "Why did you call me…?" He asked confused.

"XxVoid_CowboyxX?" I questioned, a smug grin on my face. Taken straight from the queen of Smug Grins, TattleTale herself! "We've met." I explained while also not explaining.

Greg's face in that moment was priceless, he was fucking befuddled!

Taylor sighed, and decided to give Greg a hint, before she looked at the book. "You may know him as AllThemBestMatches." She told him, before looking at the book and gasping. "No way. How did you get your hands on this?!" She asked him shocked.

"I-I uh… I got it for Christmas, and never bothered to read it…?" He explained sheepishly. He then turned to me, shocked. "Wait so you're the guy who somehow got a main mod to make you a Verified Idiot?" He asked me, trying to verify his shock.

"Yep." I agreed.

Greg stared into space for a moment, before face planting on the table. "I don't know how you know my account, but I need a minute." He said, voice muffled by the table.

Tay and I exchanged a glance for a moment, before she handed me the Book to look after. I put it in my back carefully, and not a moment too soon. The second I'd zipped up the bag, Taylor shrieked, as Pop poured all over her head and hair, staining her clothes as well… Sophia and Emma had vanished from sight before anyone could see them do it… She was now soaked with lots of different pop stains… Her clothes were ruined, her skin was probably stained a little… Her hair was a mess… If I remembered right, this would be the day she decided her costume was ready… Taylor took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a few minutes… Then, she stood up and walked out.

I grabbed our Bags, and ran after her, finding her leaving the building.

"Tay! Wait!" I called out, leaving with her as I ran at her full sprint.

Taylor turned to me slowly. "You can go back inside… I-I can't stay here looking like this…" She told me.

"Will you come back though?" I asked, making her pause. "Thought not. So this is what we'll do. You won't head home just yet. Instead, you'll come to my place, and you can clean off there. I probably have some clothes I can lend you for a bit while I'm washing your clothes. I have a really good washing machine. It also works as a dryer." I told her, getting a slow nod.

"Alright…" She agreed with a sigh, having a little trouble seeing through her glasses.

"Gimme your glasses for a sec." I told her, being passed them while we stood outside the school. I quickly cleaned them off with my sleeve, finding a streak of juice still on it. "Oh that's not good…" I muttered quickly, digging in my bag for the glasses cleaning spray stuff that's super handy. I used it, and got rid of most of the streak. There was just a small dot left at the edge that wouldn't be a problem. I passed them back to her, as we got on the first bus we could find, going past Tay's home, and all the way to the docks.

"Why are we here…?" She asked me confused.

"My place is around here." I explained, heading straight to the Warehouse I'd set up. As the automatic defences, all of which ran on Nebula gas so that I could even build them, activated, aiming at Taylor and me, I cleared my throat. "Sa, jikken o hajimeyou ka?" I announced, setting the defences to standby mode. "Alfie Perdition, plus one." I said, causing the defences to return to scanning the perimeter. "C'mon, get inside." I told Tay, dragging her along gently by the wrist. Once we were inside, I closed the door, and turned on the lights, to reveal the now upgraded warehouse. I'd shoved all the Crates to one side, with a fairly springy bed set up in the corner. There was a makeshift Kitchen, as well as a bathroom, with running water after I'd done some stuff in my sleep. Yeah no that wasn't worrying… I dug through some old clothes, and found the outfit I'd woken up in, it should fit Taylor fairly well actually. "Go take a shower, I have some clothes here for you. There's a towel by the shower." I told her, as she looked around in awe.

"Wait, you live here…?" She realised turning to me.

"Yep. It's not much, but it's home. Has everything I need to live, but it doesn't help with Y'know, wanting a proper home… Look at me, I'm able to find a home as a teenager in the 21st century!" I joked, getting a small giggle.

"But still… How have people not noticed? And where are your…?" She trailed off slowly.

"They aren't dead, as far as I'm aware." I assured her. "I just… Don't know where they are." I shrugged, turning on the network. "Now, go take a shower." I ordered, staring at the Screen while Taylor changed out of her clothes, getting in the shower and about to turn it on, when I remembered something, and grabbed Tay's underwear from the pile of clothes, and threw them into the washing machine as fast as I could. Turns out Nebula gas is apparently able to do more things than Flex Tape or Jesus! I then returned to the Screen, face bright red, checking PHO, and maps and stuff… "Huh… I'll have to try that later…" I muttered to myself, realising I might be able to get fullbottles from people's powers…

 **Somewhere else**

A girl sat in front of a computer screen, rubbing her head as her powers refused to work on a certain individual… "Just… Who are you…?" She whispered to herself, staring at the name… "AllThemBestMatches…?" She asked herself, wanting to know who was hiding behind the name… And why her power wouldn't work…

"Hey, you ready to go?" A boy asked behind her, checking that his suit was properly put on.

"Yeah, let's go." She nodded, climbing onto her ride, and giving a grin, putting the name behind her...

 **Alfie**

I frowned as something on the map flashed… "Hey, TayTay. Look. We have a crime happening." I told her. It'd been a good while now, and we'd gone back and forth from her house, to the warehouse, to the house and so on. It was about ten at night now, and Danny had gone to bed earlier, trusting we wouldn't get up to anything dirty… We were gonna get dirty technically, since I doubted we'd stay unharmed at all…

"Huh? Really?" She asked, looking at the Screen. I pointed at a flashing dot.

"Crime alert. By the colour, it's ABB." I explained.

"Thugs or…?" She questioned.

"Too early to know. We could risk it and possibly get hurt, or we could wait, and risk innocent people getting hurt. Not exactly a winwin." I sighed.

Taylor stared for a moment, before sighing. "We're going." She decided.

I grinned, and got up from my chair, running over to an area of the Warehouse I hadn't shown her yet, and pulling out the Transteam Gun V1. "Here!" I called, tossing it to her, watching her catch it. "It's not as advanced as mine, but it'll do the trick." I explained, as she looked at it confused.

"I… What?" She asked me, not understanding.

"I can show you when we get there." I told her, as I grabbed my Transteam Gun, and made sure I had an empty bottle generator set up where the third bottle holder would have been. I'd be setting up a device to give me whatever bottles I wanted, once I had more than Rabbit and Tank.

The Two of us left, heading to the location… I was walking ahead of her slightly, making sure she'd be okay…

Wait. It was Friday. Why would this be happening now?! Was my presence causing that much of a change?!

They were quite close actually, but far enough away from my warehouse that it wouldn't get damaged…

The two of us were silent as we climbed up a fire escape to spy on the group from a safe distance… Lung was there… Shit.

Lung was snarling. "…the children, just shoot. Doesn't matter your aim, just shoot. You see one lying on the ground? Shoot the little bitch twice more to be sure. We give them no chances to be clever or lucky, understand?"

There was a murmur of assent.

Someone else lit up a cigarette, and then leaned over to light a cigarette for the guy next to him. In those moments that his hand wasn't cupped around the flame, I could see the gathered faces of just a dozen or so of the gangsters gathered around Lung. In hands, waistbands and holsters, I could see the dark metal of guns reflecting the orange flame. If I had to hazard a guess, all of them had weapons.

"They're going to kill kids…?" Taylor whispered, shocked.

"Looks like it." I agreed, feeling like I was forgetting something… Or someone…? Eh, can't be important… Why is that familiar…? The thought nagged at me impishly, digging into my brain until I pushed it out.

"We have to stop them…" She told me, determined… We didn't have a choice. We hadn't brought any burner phones, or phones in general for that matter… We couldn't call for help… It was stop them, or go home with guilt…

I nodded, grabbing the Transteam gun and Rabbit Bottle… "Let's do this." I announced, getting ready to stand. "Just follow my lead." I told her. "Oh, but say Jouketsu instead of Henshin." I remembered, getting a confused nod as she stood next to me in what she'd managed to make of her costume in that week. She'd done really well honestly. She'd gotten most of what she'd done in the book, in a much shorter amount of time.

"Alright…" She agreed.

"But first, can you use your bugs, have 'em bite the thugs a bit?" I asked her, getting a nod as she sent her giant swarm at the thugs. The thugs reacted in the way you would react when people get bitten by a giant swarm. And then, I shook Rabbit, and slotted it into the gun…

" **Rabbit!** "

"HENSHIN!" I whisper shouted, pulling the trigger.

" **Mistmatch! Rabbit… Rab-Rab Rabbit… Fire!** " As the smoke cleared, I stood there, as Kamen Rider Match.

"Remember, just shake, turn the cap, and put it in the gun. Say Jouketsu, and pull the trigger." I told Tay, as I prepared to jump down. This… Was gonna suck.


	5. Advancing-2

**AN: Hiii!**

I landed on my feet, quickly shooting at Lung as I jumped up into the air again, kicking him in the face while my blasts hit him like cannonballs. CANNONBALLS MADE OF STEAM HEAVY AS IRON!

Taylor stood on the roof still, controlling bugs to attack Lung's thugs. After a few moments, they were either knocked out, injured too much to fight, or had ran away like wimps. WIMPS I SAY! I glanced at Her while Lung was shooting at me with FIRE BALLS!

"Do the thing! DO IT!" I shouted to her, as she looked at the Transteam gun nervously…

And then… She shook the Faust Bat… Turned the cap, and put it in the gun…

" **Bat!** "

"NOW YOU SAY JOUKETSU!" I shouted to her, running literal circles around Lung.

"J-Jouketsu!" She exclaimed, stumbling over the words as she pulled the Trigger.

" **Mistmatch! Bat… Ba-Bat… Fire!** " Standing there where Taylor was standing before, was Night Rogue… With a skirt. I wanted to make it a bit easier to tell since she was kinda petite in the place most girls have pride. I think they do anyway…?

"Introducing my beautiful partner, Night Rogue!" I announced, jumping up next to her, and pointing the Transteam gun at Lu- … "Night Rouge…?"

Taylor turned towards me, seeming embarrassed. "Y-Yeah…?"

"… I dropped my gun…" I whispered to her.

"… What?"

"It's on the floor." I explained. I pulled an empty bottle from the bottom slot of my belt, which I'd modded to create them whenever I needed them. The middle slot would, once I had a lot of them and a place to store them, allow me to do a Gokaiger and summon a bottle. The top slot would always hold Rabbit. "Maybe I can do something with th-" I was cut off by my Visor flashing, the HUD activating for the first time. It had lots of stuff… But something interesting was a symbol over Lung's head… The Symbol of Kamen Rider Cross-Z… Lung's Shard would give me Dragon if I drained energy from it… I turned the cap on the empty bottle, and pointed it at Lung. "HEY LUNG! OPEN WIDE!" I yelled, as Taylor had her bugs bite him. Lung, now mostly Dragon, blasted fire at me, or, tried to. As he opened his mouth, his flames turned to steam, which entered the bottle… Becoming the Burn Smash Bottle… "… Now how do I purify this…?" I muttered to myself, looking at it…

"LOOK OUT!" Taylor yelled at me, as Lung's flames shot at me. Taylor yanked me out of the way at the last second, saving me from being grilled.

"Thanks…" I muttered, breathing heavily.

"It's nothing…" She muttered back, glancing at the Smash Bottle. "What's that do…?" She asked.

"Turns people into monster forms..." I explained. "Hopefully I can purify it later." I added, to calm her down.

"How do we beat him then?" She hissed at me.

"… I…" I trailed off, unsure…

"We need bugs." I decided after a minute. "We need to distract Lung with pain so painful, that the power of Deus Ex Machina gives me something helpful." I told her.

"… You want me… To attack Lungs…" She trailed off, voice full of shock.

"The Bad Boys of the leader of the Azn Bad Boys. Yes." I confirmed. She nodded, and began to command her army of bugs… While she did that, I looked at the Smash Bottle, trying to come up with something…

Lung roared with rage, fire spluttering as Bugs choked him…

"You're gonna kill him." I warned her, fire bursting from Lung's mouth a moment after. "That's better." I said with relief.

"I'm running out of bugs." Taylor said to me, panicking a bit…

"Fuck… Um…" Lung knew where we were, so we just had to survive… Wait a minute… Weren't the kids they were planning on killing meant to be the und-

With no warning, a massive shape landed atop Lung with an impact I could swear people heard at the other end of the street. The size of a van, the 'massive object' was animal rather than vehicle, resembling a cross between a lizard and a tiger, with tangles of muscle and bone where it ought to have skin, scales or fur. Lung was now on his knees, holding one of the beast's sizable claws away from his face with his own clawed hand.

Lung used his free hand to strike the creature across the snout. Even though he was smaller than the beast, the impact made it rear back. It took a few short steps back in reaction, and then rhino-charged him off the edge of the roof. They hit the street with an audible crash.

I quickly hopped down, grabbing the Transteam Gun, and returning next to Tay before anyone notice. Taylor stood up, shaking like a leaf. A leaf dressed in a skin-tight power suit of awesomeness, but a leaf nonetheless! She was shaking so much, that she almost fell over again as two more impacts shook the roof. Two more creatures, similar to the first in texture, but slightly different in size and shape, had arrived on the rooftop. These two each had a pair of riders. I watched as the people slid off the backs of the animals. There were two girls, a guy, and a fourth I identified as male only because of the height. The tall one approached us, while the others hurried to the edge of the roof to watch Lung and the creature duke it out.

I helped Taylor stand up properly as the guy got to us.

"You really saved us a lot of trouble." He said, his voice was deep and masculine, but muffled by the helmet he wore.

 **Elsewhere…**

[LOCATING]

[QUERY; IDENTITY?]

 _[RESPONSE; EVOLBOTTLES]_

 _[QUERY; LOCATION?]_

[RESPONSE; DATA EXPUNGED]

 _[SUGGESTION; PARTNERSHIP?]_

[AGREEMENT]

 _[QUERY; OVERWRITE?]_

[AGREEMENT]

In the deep parts of nothingness, yet in reality, a Shard of light flickered… Once… Twice… Thrice… And then, it changed… And settled into its host, ready to set off…

 **Brookton Bay Hospital.**

A young woman wearing robes sighed as another patient was healed… She was so tired… But… She couldn't call it a night just yet, it was only ten… She had at least another hour left until she felt she could rest… She blinked for a moment… She must be hallucinating… For a second, she thought… She could see a cobra…? She didn't know, but that Cobra had been holding a playing card… The Ace of Spades…

 **Somewhere else.**

A young girl looked at her hands… And took a deep breath, trying to preserve what there was left of her mind…


End file.
